CSB Investigative Team En Route to Utah Refinery Explosion

Washington DC, January 13, 2009 - A four-member team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of an explosion and fire at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah.

Four workers have been hospitalized as a result of the explosion which involved a tank containing flammable hydrocarbons at the 10,500 barrel per-day refinery located north of Salt Lake City.

The investigation team will be led by CSB Investigator Supervisor Donald Holmstrom and is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.